Adam Mickiewicz Institute

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute, established in 2000, is a state institution responsible for promoting Polish culture abroad, which operates under the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We act wherever we see great potential in promoting Polish culture. As part of the projects realized so far, we have presented over 4,000 cultural events in 26 countries, which were attended by over 40 million people. The biggest projects include the so-called Polish seasons, so far organized in France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and UK (Polska! Year). During Polska! Year, which ended in 2010, Polish art was presented in Tate Britain, V&A, Cadogan Hall, Barbican Centre and many other places that are well-known to British and international audience.

The largest project carried out by the Institute so far was the official International Cultural Programme of the Polish EU Presidency. During the six months from July to December 2011, citizens of 10 world capitals attended 400 events in 10 time zones under the common name "I, Culture". It was an extensive presentation of Poland as a modern and unique country with a rich contemporary culture - the creative hub of Europe.

Apart from organizing cultural events, we publish catalogues, books and multimedia materials, as well as music and films. Our special accomplishment is the culture.pl, a multilingual news portal, constantly expanded and updated, which presents information about the latest Polish cultural events and is a mine of knowledge comprising theoretical studies, multimedia files and biographies of outstanding authors.

In order to meet new challenges and expand our activities to new territories, we have developed Project Asia, as part of which we have been organizing cultural events in the Far East countries for over 4 years. So far we have organized cultural events during EXPO 2010 in Shanghai and big presidency projects in Beijing and Tokyo (2011), as well as and Korean focus in 2012, which comprised a series of events entitled "Polish October in Korea". From 2013 on, we strive to mark our presence across the whole East Asia region. Look out for us on the most important festivals, in concert halls, galleries and bookshops... We hope you will be astonished with what Polish culture has to offer!

In accordance with the law from August 29, 1997, relating to the protection of personal data (consolidated text, Journal of Laws, 2002, no. 101, Item 926), I am hereby giving my formal consent to the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, located at 25 Mokotowska Street in Warsaw (00-560), to process my personal data.

Ilona Szwarc, the US-based Polish photographer and laureate of the World Press Photo 2013 award in Portrait category, has returned to Poland with her new project I am a woman and I feast on memory. In an interview for Culture.pl the photographer explains why she chose to engage herself in the issue of female identity.
Read more »about: In Search of Female Identity: An Interview with Ilona Szwarc

The Polish government has announced that 2017 will be a year to commemorate Adam Chmielowski, Joseph Conrad, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Honorat Koźmiński, Józef Piłsudski, and the Wisła river. Under UNESCO’s patronage, the 200th anniversary of Kościuszko’s death and the 100th anniversary of Ludwik Zamenhof’s death will also be marked. Read more »about: 2017: A Year of Anniversaries